1968 BSA A65

1968 BSA A65 Spitfire Royal Star

ABOVE: Starting with the 1968 BSA A65, the Spitfire Royal Star joined the lineup, as BSA's premium offering, at least until the arrival of the Rocket 3 a year later.

1968 BSA A65 Firebird Scrambler

BSA'S DESERT SLED
The 1968 BSA A65 Firebird Scrambler was intended as a "desert sled" (nickname for off-road/enduro/desert-racing), yet included the twin carbs of the Lightning and Spitfire roadsters, giving it more high-rpm power, but a little less pull down low. Note the high pipes, small tank, lightweight alloy fenders, lack of grab bar, and the universal tires. Compare this to the Spitfire Royal Star, above for comparison. The purpose was lightweight and good off-road handling. The big "Beezers" were very competitive in their day, in desert races, scrambles and the like. The high pipes on this '68-model ran one on each side. Starting with the 1969-model this would change forever to both pipes running high along the left side of the bike.